Mystery Of The Haunted Castle
by The Chuckinator
Summary: When Sonic buys a castle in Romania, he doesn't expect it to be haunted by a ghost named Shadow. After finding out his true heritage, Sonic is caught up in the world of an ancient family while a cult is trying to destroy everything he holds dear.
1. Moving In

Mystery Of The Haunted Castle  


By Fangs Of Lightning And The Chuckinator

Chapter 1: Moving In

Sonic The Hedgehog stared up at the ancient castle in front of him. He had just bought it, and was eager to explore it. He hurried up the stairs and pushed one of the tall doors open. As he walked inside, his eyes widened. The castle was very impressive. He looked around the main hall. The castle was huge; doors and many other rooms were everywhere. Sonic grinned in excitement. It had been a while since he was in a place like this. He walked upstairs, heading to his room. When he got upstairs, he saw a gargoyle on the ledge.

"Didn't know these were here." Sonic rushed over to the gargoyle and looked it over. "I don't know if I want you here though."

Trying to move the gargoyle on his own didn't work and Sonic sighed. He'd have to get Knuckles to come help him move things around. He walked into the room and set his bag down, then sat on the bed. Sonic looked around the room and nodded. This room would do for now. He got out his cell phone, wondering if he had service. After finding out that he did, he called Tails.

"I'm at the castle now," Sonic said.

"Awesome," Tails said. "I hope you like it there. I already miss you."

"I miss you too buddy."

"You think I could visit you sometime?"

"Of course," Sonic laughed. "Once I'm settled in."

"Thanks, Sonic. If I may ask, why'd you move out of Station Square?" Tails asked.

"I wanted a change of scenery."

"What do you think of the castle?"

Sonic chuckled. "It's pretty awesome. Well, I better go. Need to unpack and start moving in. I'll talk to you later, buddy."

"Yeah. Talk to you later."

Sonic hung up. He yawned and started to unpack. It didn't take long for him to get everything in place in his room. After Sonic had unpacked, he went downstairs. The boxes he had put his things in from his house had arrived, and were sitting on the floor. Sonic walked over to them and looked through them to find the one labelled 'kitchen'. He picked up the box and brought it into the kitchen, setting in on the large dining room table. It took him a few minutes to get everything sorted.

"The kitchen's done," he said, walking back out to the main hall. He looked at the other boxes, wondering which one to unpack next.

As he was running around getting everything in places that looked good, Sonic thought about what to do now that he owned a castle. He obviously wanted to explore every inch of this building, and it would be a great place to hold parties. Every one of his friends would be able to come. Sonic smiled; maybe he should have a party later in the week after he got everything set up. He stretched and took another look around the room. It was about time he explored his new home.

Sonic walked down the hall and entered a room. His eyes widened when he saw it was the ballroom. He'd always loved ballrooms and with some cleaning, it would be as grand as it was meant to be. He grinned and walked around, looking at the room. It was amazing. Sonic made a mental note to clean it up as soon as possible before returning to the hall to look at the rest of the castle. The blue hedgehog yawned before looking at his watch. It was 5 PM, and he was getting hungry. He walked into the kitchen and looked around.

After a few moments, Sonic turned around and left again. He still needed to do some grocery shopping. It'd be easier to just go out for dinner. Sonic walked up to his room and grabbed his wallet, looking through to see if he had enough money to go out. Once he figured out how much he had, Sonic ran out of the castle and into town.


	2. Silver's Visit

Chapter 2: Silver's Visit

When Sonic got to the village, he saw a restaurant and went inside. A waiter walked up to him.

"A table for one?"

"Yes please," Sonic said.

The waiter motioned for Sonic to follow and led him to an empty table. Sonic sat down and looked at the menu.

"Would you like anything to drink?" The waiter asked.

"Not yet."

The waiter walked away as Sonic looked through the menu to decide what he wanted to eat and drink. When the waiter returned a few minutes later, Sonic ordered what he had decided on.

The waiter took his order and left. A few minutes later Sonic's phone chimed, and he got a text from Silver.

'Hey, Sonic. Tails told me you bought a castle near Apotos.'

Sonic smiled down at the screen as he typed his response. 'Yeah. It's a nice place.'

'Blaze and I are in Apotos for our honeymoon. Do you mind if we come visit?'

'Not at all. Did Tails give you the address?'

'Yeah, he did. We'll be there in an hour.'

'Maybe you should make it two hours. I'm out at the moment.'

'Alright; I'll call you when we get there. See ya soon!'

Sonic smiled at the text. It sounded like Silver was doing well. Their wedding had been beautiful, though Sonic hadn't bothered sticking around for the party. The food came half an hour later; Sonic thanked the waiter and started eating.

After Sonic ate, the waiter came up to him. "Would you like any dessert?"

"Sure. What're my choices?"

"Pumpkin cheesecake, chocolate mousse, and ice cream."

"I'd like to try the Chocolate Mousse," Sonic said.

"I'll have it out in a moment."

Sonic nodded and waited for her to return with his dessert. When she did so, he looked at it and smiled.

"Thanks," he said, and started eating.

It was as good as he'd been hoping. When he finished, he paid and left. Sonic looked at his phone to see what time it was. It was currently 6:41.

'What time do you think you'll be here?' He texted Silver.

'What works for you?'

'How about 7:30?'

'Sure.'

'See you then.'

Sonic got up and paid the bill before leaving the restaurant and going back to his castle. He went inside and looked around, wondering if he should do anything to prepare for his guests. After some consideration Sonic shrugged and walked into one of the other rooms. They were his friends, not someone he needed to impress.

Half an hour later, he heard the loud knocking on the door. Sonic smiled and walked up to the massive front doors, swinging them open.

"Welcome," he greeted.

"Hey," Silver said as he and Blaze walked in. "Pretty impressive place you got here."

"Thanks."

"So, how have you been?"

"I've been great."

Silver smiled as Blaze followed them.

"What made you want to move here, Sonic?" She asked.

"The change in scenery."

"Well, it's a nice place. How did you find out about it?"

"Wandering."

Blaze smiled and sat down on the couch.

"So, you and Silver are on your honeymoon?" Sonic asked, sitting across from them.

"We are."

"That's great. How long are you going to be in Apotos?"

"Two weeks."

"Would you like to stay the night?" Sonic asked. "Or maybe for a few days?"

Silver thought about it, then smiled and nodded. "That would be great. Thank you."

"It's the least I could do. You two are my friends."

"Where should we sleep?" Blaze asked.

"There's a guest room next to mine. You can sleep there."

"Thanks."

Silver walked outside. He opened the trunk of his car and brought some suitcases in. "I'll bring these to the room."

He walked upstairs, following Sonic's directions. A few minutes later he came downstairs. "I got our things in the room. What should we do now?"

"Let me show you around," Sonic said.

Silver and Blaze nodded and followed Sonic, who showed them around and them a tour of the entire castle. As they walked, Silver continually sensed that something in the castle felt strange. Being a psychic, he was sensitive to such things.

"Sonic. Did you ever look into the history of this castle?"

"No, I didn't," Sonic said, looking at Silver. "Why do you ask?"

"Something feels...off about the air here."

"What do you mean? I don't feel anything."

"I'm not entirely sure. It feels like we're not alone here."

"Not alone? Don't tell me this place is haunted," Sonic said.

Silver shrugged. "Possibly. But it could just be something about the land it was built on."

"Like an ancient site?" When Silver nodded, the blue hedgehog grinned. "I'll have to look into it."

"Tell me what you find? I'm curious about it as well."

"Okay," Sonic said. "Maybe we could go to the library tomorrow. They might have something."

"How does that sound to you?" Silver looked at Blaze.

"We could do that," Blaze said, smiling.

"So Silver," Sonic said. "Blaze told me a few weeks ago that you can use your psychic powers to sort of possess people. That must be interesting."

"She told you that?" Silver laughed. "It isn't really... I mean... It's pretty uncomfortable, actually."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Being in another person's body, having complete control of their actions, is... It takes some getting used to. And I can barely manage it anyway so it doesn't last very long."

"When did you first find out you could do that?"

"Training. My psychokinesis is strong enough, and my master thought it might be a useful skill to have. So she had me see if I could do it."

"Your master?" Sonic asked, confused. "Who's that? I didn't realize you had one."

"Her name's Gold. I thought it would be a good idea to get proper control of my powers and eventually found her."

"Can you possess other things besides people?"

Silver grinned. "I can make any machine do whatever I want. Within the capabilities of its programming, of course."

"He can possess animals too," Blaze told Sonic.

"I don't like to do that," Silver said.

"Why not?" Sonic asked, still curious.

"Because they're living things with minds of their own. It's not right to take that away from them."

"Makes sense. What's it like to possess a machine?"

"Not as strange as you might think." Silver thought about it. "I'm not sure I'd even call it possession. All it really is is going into it's hard drive and telling it what to do. Anyone with the right skills could do that; I just do it faster."

"So you're basically an artificial intelligence?"

"No. I'm a person with psychokinetic powers."

"But if you go into a machine and tell it what to do, wouldn't you be something like an AI when you do that?"

"I'm not a part of the machine, or one myself. So I'm not an AI. Just someone with the right powers to get in there and mess around with it."

"Gotcha. I was confused."

"Most people are when I try to explain my powers."

Sonic grinned. "Wanna see the ballroom?"

"A ballroom?" Silver jumped to his feet and pulled Blaze up as well. "Yeah, show me."

The blue hedgehog smiled and led them to the ballroom. He pushed the double doors open and walked inside.

"This is my ballroom," Sonic said. "I haven't really finished cleaning it up yet."

"It's amazing," Silver said, looking around.

"You think it'll work for having a party here?"

"Yeah, it will. It's pretty big."

"It would take a while to decorate..."

Sonic smiled. "Maybe I could hold a party at the end of the week."

"As a kind of moving in party?"

"Yeah. What do you think?"

"I think it's a great idea."

Sonic smiled at them.

The next day, they went to the library in town.

Sonic walked up to the librarian. "Excuse me," he said. "Do you have any books on the castle here?

"Castle Dracula?" The librarian replied. "Yes, I believe I do."

A few moments later, the librarian told them where they could find the books. They went to the shelf she had mentioned and looked at the books.

"Here it is," Sonic said, setting the book down. "Castle Dracula. It was originally owned by Vlad Dracula, also known as Vlad the Impaler in 1458."

"I think I've heard about him," Silver said.

"Wasn't he the person who impaled people after killing them?" Blaze asked.

"Among other things."

"Looks like he has a list of descendants," Sonic said, tracing a family tree. "The last one being..." He froze and his eyes widened. "My great grandfather?"


	3. Ghostly Appearances

Chapter 3: Ghostly Appearances 

"Wait, you're descended from Dracula?" Silver asked, shocked at the revelation. "Who was your great grandfather?"

"Charles Hedgehog," Sonic told them as he flipped to the next page and saw a picture of Dracula. He was a black hedgehog with red eyes and his quills were pointed up. "Pretty threatening looking dude; wonder what made him that way..."

"Are the rumors of him being a vampire true?"

Sonic smirked, then looked at Silver and Blaze with a glint in his eyes. "I want to suck your blood," he said jokingly in a Romanian accent.

"Very funny, Sonic." Blaze shook her head and looked away as she crossed her arms. The blue hedgehog chuckled.

"What else does the book say?" Silver asked.

Sonic flipped through it until he saw something. "Here's something interesting."

"What is it?" Silver asked.

"A murder that happened in the castle a few centuries ago..." Sonic trailed off as he read the account. "Someone named Shadow was killed in 1508 as he was living there. Apparently he's Dracula's son," he continued.

"Does it say why?"

"No, it doesn't."

"Probably some kind of thing with his family or something," Blaze said.

Sonic looked at Silver. "You mentioned something about that felt off about the castle? What was it?"

"I don't know. It could be this Shadow. If he stuck around after being murdered, that is."

"You mean, he's a ghost haunting my castle?"

"Maybe. I'd have to look around to decide if that's what it is or not."

Sonic nodded and closed the book, then walked up to the front desk. "Could I check this book out?" He asked the librarian.

"If you're careful with it, I suppose it couldn't hurt," the librarian replied.

She checked it out and handed it to him. Sonic walked back to Blaze and Silver. "What do you want to do now?"

"I think we'll go off on our own for a few hours." Silver looked at Blaze as he spoke.

Blaze nodded in agreement.

"Go ahead," Sonic said. "I'm going to go back to the castle."

The three left the library, and Sonic waved to them as he headed home. Once he was at the castle, he continued reading the book. The book was interesting, he had to admit. He had no idea that he was descended from Dracula, and thought it was pretty cool. He flipped a page and saw a picture of Shadow.

"Can definitely see the resemblance," Sonic muttered.

He continued to read about Shadow, growing interested in the hedgehog as he read. There still wasn't anything about why he died. Sonic also read that Shadow had a brother named Mephiles. The two seemed to get along well, according to the book. Sonic closed the book and sighed. What could Shadow have been murdered about? After a few more minutes drumming his fingers on the book, Sonic stood.

"Time to go back to the library."

He walked up to the front doors but as soon as he was about to exit, he felt as if someone was watching him. Pausing and looking around, Sonic couldn't help but remember what Silver had said earlier. If Shadow was still living in the castle after all this time...A breeze went past him. He shuddered, and left. It was a few moments before he was walking into the library again, having run there to make sure he had enough time to browse.

"May I help you?" The librarian asked as Sonic walked up to the front desk.

"Would more books about Dracula be in the same area as the one I checked out?"

"Yes, they would."

"Thanks."

Sonic walked over to the section he was in before and looked around for any other books about Dracula and his family. A few minutes later, he found some. Carefully, he carried them to the front desk and checked them out. Sonic went back to the castle and sat down on the sofa. He picked up the first book and began to read. This book told of the history of Dracula and his family. For a while he lounged there reading. As he read, a breeze blew past him and he thought he felt someone watching him. Sonic looked around.

"Hello?"

There was no response besides another breeze rustling his quills and the pages of his book. The blue hedgehog looked down and saw the pages flapping. They stopped on a page of Shadow.

"Shadow? You are here?"

Silence followed. A few minutes later a voice sounded. "I am."

"I can hear you?" Sonic looked around for the source of the voice but couldn't see anyone.

"You can."

"But I can't see you..."

"I'm a ghost. I'm invisible," Shadow said. "But I am here, I assure you."

"Well duh." Sonic pouted. "Guess Silver was right."

"Who's Silver?"

"A friend of mine."

"I see...what are you doing in my castle?"

Sonic smirked. "I live here."

"Yes, I could tell that. Why did you choose this one?"

"Something about it caught my interest. It felt like home to me. Probably because I just found out that I'm descended from Dracula."

"You managed to trace your family history back that far? Impressive."

"I got a book from the library that has information about Dracula and his family. My great-grandfather's name is in there. His name's Charles," Sonic said.

"Then you figured it out by chance."

Sonic rubbed his nose. "I guess you could say that. So, how long have you been watching me?"

"Since you arrived."

"I interest you that much?"

"You have no idea how long I've been alone here."

"It must be lonely for you. How long have you been here?" Sonic asked.

"A long time."

"I read that you were murdered."

"I was."

"Do you know what happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Fair enough," Sonic said. There was a silence in the room then. "So, think I'll ever be able to see you?"

"Maybe. If I feel like showing myself."

"What do you do around here?"

"Whatever I feel like."

"How'd you become a ghost anyway? Can you not pass on for some reason?" Sonic asked.

"I didn't feel the urge to leave. So I stayed here."

Something told Sonic that Shadow wasn't telling him everything, but he went with it.

"I see."

"Anyway, I don't mind you living in my castle."

"That's good. It's nice to hear my ancestor is here."

Shadow chuckled. "I'm a little removed from your family tree, don't you think?"

"I suppose. Hey, you don't mind if my friends Silver and Blaze stay here for a few days? I invited them to spend the night."

"You already told them they could."

Sonic smiled, and Shadow's voice vanished. The blue hedgehog stretched, and looked up to see Silver and Blaze walk in. "Welcome back."

"Hey," Silver said. "What have you been doing while we've been gone?"

"Reading."

Silver nodded, then sensed something. He looked around. "Is Shadow here? I'm sensing a presence."

"Yeah, it's Shadow."

"Cool. Has he shown himself?"

"He's talked to me, but I couldn't see him."

"Keeping to himself for now, then?"

"Apparently. How was your walk?" Sonic asked.

"It wasn't just a walk. And we had fun."

"That's nice to hear. I'm glad you had fun."

"Would you mind if I looked around the castle?" Silver asked.

"Go ahead," Sonic said.

"Thanks." Silver stood up and walked into another room.

Sonic looked at Blaze. "What did you and Silver do after you left the library?"

"We went for a walk, hung out for a while. Just did a variety of things," Blaze told him.

"Sounds fun. Do you like it here?"

"We do. It's a nice town."

Sonic smiled. "Yeah, it is."

"What prompted you to move here?" Blaze asked.

"Station Square was getting boring. I wanted to try something new."

"But why this place in particular? There had to be something that made you pick it."

"I'm not really sure," Sonic said. "I guess...it felt like home to me."

"That's as good a reason as any."

The blue hedgehog smiled. His stomach rumbled, so he went into the kitchen to get something to eat. Silver was in there, looking around. "Find anything interesting?"

"I was wondering where your cake mix was, if you have any," Silver said. "I wanted to bake a cake."

"I don't have much of anything like that yet."

"Ah," Silver said. "Guess I'll just see what's in the refrigerator, then."

He opened the fridge. Silver brought out some yogurt, then sat down at the table and began to eat. "So, have you noticed anything here other than Shadow?"

Sonic shook his head. "No, not yet."

"Maybe there isn't anyone else."

"He might be the only ghost here, then. What did talk about when you spoke to him?"

"The castle and him, mostly."

Silver smiled. "It'll be interesting to have a ghost around."

Sonic nodded in agreement. "Maybe I can learn some stuff from him, too."

Silver took another bite of his yogurt. "So," he said. "What do you think about being a descendant of Dracula?"

"It's always interesting to find out who your ancestors were."

Silver smiled. "Yeah, it is."

"The fact that I own the castle now's just amusing."

Silver smiled. "Do you mind if I dance with Blaze in the ballroom?"

"Not at all."

Silver stood up and went into the living room. "Would you like to dance with me, Blaze?"

"I'd love to." Blaze stood and went over, placing her hand in his. The two walked into the ballroom and began to dance.


	4. The Party

Chapter 4: The Party

Nearly an hour had passed when Silver noticed him. In the middle of spinning Blaze he happened to look toward the glass doors leading outside. Leaning there was a hedgehog he'd never seen before but was still somehow familiar. More startling was the blurry look to the hedgehog's outline. There was only one thing that could be.

"We aren't alone in here," he said once Blaze was back in his arms.

"What do you mean?" Blaze asked.

"Shadow's here."

"He is?" Blaze looked around. "I don't see him."

"That's because he's a ghost."

"How can you see him?"

"Psychic powers, remember?" Silver laughed. He looked to where Shadow was but saw that the ghost was gone.

"Why do you think he was watching us?" Blaze asked her husband.

"It has been a long time since people were staying here." Silver smiled. "Maybe it has something to do with wanting some company."

"Maybe you could try talking to him."

"What if he doesn't want to talk?"

Blaze shrugged. "Not sure. He seems lonely, really. It would be good for him to get to know us."

"I'll see what I can do."

They walked out of the ballroom, but Silver stopped when he heard a voice. "So...you can see me."

Silver whirled around to see Shadow floating in front of him. "My name's Silver."

"I'm Shadow."

"It's nice to meet you."

"Same here. It's been a while since I've had company...how is it you're able to see me?"

"I'm a psychic."

"A psychic?" Shadow asked. "Interesting..."

Silver smiled. "Ever meet one before?"

"I knew a few psychics when I was alive," Shadow said.

"What were they like then?"

"Mysterious. They mostly kept to themselves. What are psychics like now?" Shadow asked.

"Most of them keep their powers to themselves."

"What are your powers like?"

"Mine? I can sense stuff, I guess. See the souls of people who haven't properly passed and interact with them. Stuff like that."

"I heard that you have other powers too. Telekinesis and possession?"

Silver blinked. "Uh, yeah... How do you know that?"

"I overheard your conversation with Sonic."

"Of course."

Shadow smiled. "I'll talk to you later," he said, and faded away.

"He seems nice," Silver said.

"What did you two talk about?" Blaze asked.

"Psychics."

"Has he encountered any before?"

"A few times. He said when he was alive they mostly kept to themselves though."

"What else did he say?"

"Not much else."

"He seems like an interesting person. Why do you think he stayed a ghost instead of moving on?"

Silver shrugged. "I'd have to ask, but I haven't known him long enough for that."

A few minutes later they walked into the mail hall and saw Sonic sitting in a chair, reading a book. Sonic looked up when he heard their footsteps.

"Enjoy your time in the ballroom?" He asked.

"We did," Silver said. "What are you reading?"

"Nothing Special."

Silver took a seat beside Sonic. "I saw Shadow in the ballroom."

Sonic put the book down and glanced at Silver, intrigued. "What happened?"

"Not much. He watched us, and I talked to him afterwards."

"What do you think about him?"

"He's an interesting person," Silver said. "But I think he's lonely."

"Being by himself here for so long, he probably is." Sonic smiled. "I'll just have to make sure I'm the best friend I can be."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate that."

"You think so?"

"I know so," the psychic said. "I can tell that Shadow needs a friend. He's been alone in this castle for centuries."

Sonic smiled at Silver. "If that what he needs, I'll be happy to provide it for him."

"You mentioned you wanted to have a party here at the end of the week?"

"Yeah."

"Who are you going to invite?" Silver asked.

"All my friends."

"Sounds great."

Sonic smiled. "Will the two of you be here too?"

"Yeah, we will," Silver said.

"Awesome."

"Do you like it here?"

"Yeah. It's a great castle."

Silver smiled and finished eating. He hoped the party would be great.

Everyone was gathered in the ballroom of Sonic's castle for his party. Some, like Amy and Rouge, had dressed up for the occasion. Vector had control of the music, trying to include everyone's taste rather than stick to one genre.

"Thanks for holding this party, Sonic," Tails said.

"I had to let my friends see my castle."

"It's an amazing castle."

Sonic grinned. "Thanks."

"How did you find it?"

"Oh, you know me. I was out, doing my thing. Came across it and got lucky."

Silver was dancing with Blaze and heard a voice.

"So...this is what parties are like nowadays."

"Not all of them," Silver looked to the side as he addressed Shadow.

Shadow covered his ears. "What is that loud noise? I can't stand it."

"Music."

"Music? It's terrible."

Silver laughed as he continued dancing with Blaze, turning away from the ghost in the process.

"It's just not what you're used to," Silver said.

Shadow shrugged and looked around. He saw Sonic and flew up to him. "This is what music's like these days?"

Sonic looked around for Shadow. He could hear his voice but couldn't see him. "Yeah. What do you think?"

"How can you stand listening to it?"

I grew up listening to rock music, so I'm used to it. I take it you don't like it?"

"It'll take some getting used to."

"Hey Vector!" Sonic yelled. "Can you play some other type of music?"

"Sure thing!" The music changed a few moments later.

"What's this?" Shadow asked.

"Pop music," Sonic told him.

Shadow made a face. "I suppose I should learn what people call music in this day and age."

"What kind of music do you like?"

"Music." Shadow looked away from Sonic with a scowl. It was harder than necessary to answer that question. Shadow stared at him, then shrugged and looked around. "I don't think I like this party very much. Too many people, music's too loud..."

"You have been alone for a really long time," Sonic said.

"I was never very social as a kid. Mostly shy."

"Oh. Guess you've never really liked parties then."

Shadow nodded. Before he could speak again, he heard a voice and turned to see a two tailed fox.

"Who are you talking to, Sonic?"The fox asked.

Sonic looked at Tails. "Shadow."

Tails looked confused. "Who's Shadow?"

"A ghost living here with me."

"A ghost? Cool!"

"He's pretty cool."

"How'd he become a ghost?"

"No idea."

"Interesting," Tails said. "I've never encountered a ghost before."

"Maybe sometime you could meet him."

"Really? That would be cool!"

Sonic laughed at Tails' excitement. "I didn't know you were so interested in ghosts."

"Well, I've never seen one before."

"I'm sure Shadow wouldn't mind meeting you."

Tails smiled. "I'd love to meet him."

"How long are you staying here?"

"How long do you want me to stay?"

"As long as you want."

"I think I'll stay for a few days," Tails said.

"Great." Sonic smiled. The party lasted for a few more hours. Afterwards, one person walked up to Sonic. She was a red female fox. "Hi," Sonic said. "Who are you?"

"Fiona," she said.

"It's nice to meet you. I assume you came for the party?"

"I did. Great party by the way."

"Thank you," Sonic said. "Do you live around here?"

"I do."

"How long have you lived here?"

"All my life."

"Well, thank you for coming."

Fiona smiled and left to go home.

"I don't trust her," Silver said, walking up beside Sonic. "Something felt...off...about her."

"Off how?"

"I'm not really sure...her aura just seems...evil."

"Evil? Never thought I'd hear you describe someone as evil."

Silver shrugged. "Never had the need to."

"Well, I'll watch out for her. Can't be too careful."

"Be careful."

"I just said I would be." Sonic smiled at Silver.

Silver smiled back. "Blaze and I are going to leave tomorrow."

"What time?"

"Around noon."

"So I'll have time to say bye."

Silver smiled and yawned. "I'm going to bed. See you in the morning, Sonic!"

"See you then."

Sonic went up to his own room and fell asleep.


	5. Fiona

Chapter 5: Fiona

A month later, Silver was visiting Sonic again. Blaze was going to join him in a few days once she'd finished with a few important things with her business.

"What have you been doing this past month, Sonic?" Silver asked.

"Getting used to the castle. Exploring the surrounding area."

"How's Shadow doing?"

"He's doing great. We get along really well, too."

Silver smiled. "That's good."

"Hello, Silver," Shadow said. Silver jumped and whirled around to see the ghost floating in front of him.

"Hi Shadow."

"How have you been?"

"Great."

The ghost smiled. "Sonic and I have been enjoying each other's company."

"So you're friends now?"

"Yep," Sonic said. "Still hasn't told me how he died, though..."

"Well, I'd imagine it isn't something he wants to talk about."

"I'll tell him when I'm ready," Shadow said.

"And I will eagerly await that day," Sonic said.

Shadow smiled. "What have you been doing lately, Silver?"

"Nothing much."

"How's Blaze?" Sonic asked.

"Happy."

"She didn't come?"

Silver shook his head. "Blaze is too busy for a visit. Something came up with her job."

"What's her job?"

"She's the CEO of the Sol company."

"I've heard of them. What do they do?"

"A bit of everything."

Sonic smiled. "How long are you going to stay, Silver?"

"Just a week or two."

"Great. I haven't seen you in a while."

Silver smiled. "Find out anything else interesting about the castle?"

"There are catacombs under the castle to explore."

"Really? Did you find anything interesting down there?"

"Not yet. Just...skeletons."

"The castle was built on the grounds where my father left all of his...trophies in battle," Shadow said.

"Why'd he pick a place like that to build his castle?"

"I don't know. My father was a strange man."

"What other strange things did he do?"

Shadow thought about it. "I can't remember. Vlad was called The Impaler because he impaled people he killed...went on many military campaigns and conquered quite a few lands. Our family became extremely rich."

"We know history," Sonic said. "Tell me about the other stuff."

"What do you wish to know?"

"Little things you remember. What it was like back in that time. Stuff you don't learn in history books."

"I was born in 1462 here in the town of Transylvania. My older brother Mephiles and I got along well and would often explore the castle and its surrounding grounds. Our family had many balls held, but I was a shy child and didn't like parties that much. We visited many other countries as well."

"What were the balls like?" Silver asked. "Anything like in movies?"

"Movies? What are those?" Shadow asked.

"You haven't seen any with Sonic?"

"No. I prefer to stay away from modern day things. Don't really understand them."

"You don't have to understand them," Sonic said. "I told you - what matters is if you like it or not."

"What are movies?" Shadow asked again.

Sonic sighed and motioned for him to follow. "You can come too, Silver. I told you before, movies are something you watch. Like a play, but different." Shadow floated in the air as he followed Silver and Sonic. The blue hedgehog picked out a movie and put it in the VHS player. "We're going to watch Lord Of The Rings," he said, turning on the TV.

"All three of them, or just the first one?" Silver asked.

"That depends on Shadow," Sonic said.

"It's a trilogy?" Shadow asked.

"Based off the books. Each of them are three hours long."

"Okay. Put it on."

Sonic nodded and turned on the movie. As they watched it, Shadow grew interested. The credits had barely began when he looked at Sonic. "I would like to see the next one." Sonic smiled and put the second film in. Once The Two Towers one was over, they watched The Return of the King as well. "Those were good movies," Shadow said once the third one finished.

"There's a prequel series too," Sonic said.

"What's that called?"

"The Hobbit." Sonic stood. "Nine hours is more than long enough for me. If you want to watch the others, ask Silver."

"I'll watch them another time," Shadow told Sonic. "I agree that nine hours is too long. You said they're based on novels?'

"Yep. Did you want to read them?"

"Perhaps."

"I'll find them for you if you decide you do."

"How would he read them, though?" Silver asked Sonic. "He's not solid."

"Maybe we could read them to him?"

"That sound like fun," Shadow said.

Sonic yawned and stood up. "I'm going to bed."

"Good night," Shadow said.

"Night," Sonic said.

Later that night, Fiona snuck in the castle. Getting in was easier than it should've been. Then again, Sonic had seemed pretty carefree and friendly enough to think he didn't need any fancy security. If Fiona succeeded in her mission, he would regret that.

Fiona looked around, wondering where Sonic's bedroom was. There were too many rooms in the castle, and he could've chosen any one of them. Fiona thought about it, then chose the stairs. It made the most sense for his bedroom to be on the upper floors. When she reached the first floor, she saw that there were many doors. Which one led to Sonic's bedroom?

There was only one way to find out.

After carefully looking in each room down that hall, Fiona growled. His bedroom wasn't there. Castles had far too many rooms for this... She should have waited to get more intel before coming in here for this. The fox sighed, deciding to search as quickly as possible. It didn't take her as long as she'd been worrying to finally find the room Sonic was using for his bedroom. She walked into the room and took out her knife. Stopping in front of the bed, she looked at Sonic and raised it up, ready to plunge the knife into his flesh.

When Fiona went to stab Sonic and kill him, the hedgehog moved - much faster than she thought possible - and avoided her attack. He shot out of bed and glared at her.

"What are you doing?"

"You need to die."

"Why?" Sonic asked, dodging Fiona's attacks. "What did I ever do to you?"

"Your existence is in the way, so you must die."

The blue hedgehog frowned. He was about to attack when a green aura surrounded Fiona and she was flung across the room. Fiona was held in place against the wall, struggling but clearly unable to move. Silver walked up to her, holding her in place with his powers.

"What are you doing here?" Fiona didn't answer with anything more than a glare. "Tell me why you're trying to kill Sonic."

"He must die."

"You already said that. Why must he die?" Silver asked.

"He's a descendant of Dracula!" Fiona yelled.

"So you try to kill me?" Sonic asked.

"Our cult has been targeting the Dracula family for centuries, sacrificing them to our god."

"Sacrificing? To what god?"

"Dark Gaia," Fiona told him.

Sonic stared at her in confusion. He had never heard of Dark Gaia before. "What religion is that?"

"It's an old religion, just in this region."

Sonic nodded and thought about what she had said. "I don't suppose you'll tell me more about your religion?"

"Let me tell you something interesting: your ancestor, the great Vlad Dracula, is the son of Dark Gaia," Fiona told him.

"He was a demigod?"

"Your ancestor? Yes, he was. His descendants had his powers, including you."

"Really?" Sonic wasn't sure he believed her.

"What kind of powers?" Silver asked Fiona.

"Why should I tell you that? Figure it out for yourself," the fox snarled.

"Why is this cult murdering my family line?" Sonic asked her. "You mentioned a sacrifice?"

"I am not giving you any more information."

"Fine. Now what to do with you..."

"Let me go."

"Why should we? You tried to kill me," Sonic said.

Fiona smirked, and sent out a magic spell that hit Silver. He yelled and fell back as Fiona escaped. Sonic ignored the fox, going over to Silver as she ran off. Silver groaned in pain. His body was changing; he began to grow and shift until he had become a seven foot tall gargoyle.

"What... Silver?"

The giant gargoyle looked at himself. He was more humanoid, had dark gray coloring, no quills or fur, pointed short elf-type ears, and large wings. His hands now had four fingers and feet had become gigantic three toed paws with sharp claws protruding from them.

"Sonic?" His voice came out as a low growl. "What happened to me?"

"You were turned into a... gargoyle? Somehow."

Silver growled; he could feel himself, and his new wings, pressing against the ceiling, which was starting to crack. Sonic looked around, unsure of what to do. "I'm too large to fit in here," Silver said. "Any way I can get outside?"

"Not without breaking something."

The gargoyle growled again and moved to the window. "Guess I have no choice. I'm sorry about this."

The crash of Silver going through the window, and leaving Sonic with a gaping hole in his wall, caused Sonic to flatten his ears and back away.


	6. The Gargoyle and the Wolf

Chapter 6: The Gargoyle and the Wolf  


Silver flew around a few times before perching on a balcony near the top of the castle. The view was amazing. Looking out at everything, Silver decided to stay there for a while.

"You destroyed my wall!" Sonic shouted up at him.

"You knew that would happen!" The gargoyle shouted back.

"I guess I'll get it fixed. How's the view?"

"Breathtaking."

"Well, I'm going back to bed. See you in the morning, Silver," Sonic said.

"See you then."

Sonic went to his bed and fell asleep. Silver continued looking around, and saw a wolf at the edge of the forest. He watched it for a few minutes before it left his vision. Curious, he flew to the edge of the forest. The wolf was in the trees, looking at him. It growled, ears flattening.

Silver stepped back. "I'm not going to hurt you."

The wolf growled even more, backing away. Silver understood: it was afraid of him

"I'm not going to hurt you," he repeated. "My name's Silver."

The wolf narrowed its amber eyes in suspicion, then started walking cautiously towards the gargoyle. It sniffed the creature, then sat on its haunches and looked at him. A voice sounded in Silver's head.

 _"What are you?"_ The wolf asked, speaking telepathically. " _I have never seen a creature like you before but I can sense that you are an immortal."_

Silver stared at the animal for a few moments. There was nothing else the voice could be from. "I'm... I was cursed."

 _"Cursed? By whom?"_

"A female fox by the name of Fiona."

The wolf's eyes widened, and it growled. _"So...my sister is still alive after all these centuries...she must have found a way to become immortal."_ Upon seeing Silver's confused look, the wolf bowed. _"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Mephiles, the son of Count Vlad Dracula."_

"Son of..." Silver stared at Mephiles. "Why are you a wolf?"

 _"Fiona cursed me, transforming me into a wolf."_

"Why?"

 _"It's a long story..."_

"I've got time."

 _"Very well...the year was 1508. My brother Shadow and I had powers due to our father being a demigod. Fiona, unfortunately, didn't have any. She got jealous of our powers and made a deal with Dark Gaia, Vlad's father. Fiona betrayed us, killing Shadow, turned me into a wolf, and sealed father deep beneath the castle."_

"Wow. That's... an overreaction."

 _"Indeed."_

"Is there any way to change me back to normal?" Silver asked.

The wolf shook its head. _"There is none. It seems Fiona has changed your very being."_

"What? Why?" Silver thought of Blaze and frowned. "Guess I'll have to make her reverse it."

Suddenly, Silver felt a tingling in his body and saw the sun start to rise.

 _"You might want to head back to the castle,"_ Mephiles told him. _"Gargoyles turn to stone when the sun rises."_

"Hopefully Sonic doesn't mind having a new lawn decoration."

 _"I'll talk to you again soon, Silver."_

The gargoyle nodded and flew back to the castle. He picked a good place in Sonic's lawn and sighed while he waited for the sun to finish rising. As he waited, he thought of Mephiles. How was the wolf still alive after all these years? Was he immortal? The gargoyle grimaced as he felt his body turn to stone and soon became a statue.


	7. Secret Findings

Chapter 7: Secret Findings

Sonic got out of bed, yawned and looked at the place where Silver crashed through his wall. He sighed, wondering what the gargoyle was doing now. The blue hedgehog walked to the edge and looked out, surprised to see some sort of statue on the lawn.

"That wasn't there yesterday," he said to himself. "Maybe I should take a look at it."

Sonic ran outside and to the statue. It was definitely Silver. Gently knocking on the stone got no response and Sonic frowned. If Silver was stuck like this... What was he going to tell Blaze? He sighed, and walked back inside. Maybe Shadow would know something.

"Silver's on the front lawn," Sonic said. He had no idea if Shadow was even there listening.

"What do you mean?" Shadow asked, appearing in front of Sonic

"Last night, he got changed into a gargoyle. Now he's a statue in the front lawn and I have no idea how I'm going to explain this to Blaze."

"A gargoyle? How did that happen?"

"Some woman named Fiona put some kind of spell on him."

"Gargoyles usually become stone during morning and are animate at night...wait...did you say Fiona?"

"Yeah. The fox from the party."

"Fiona is my sister," Shadow told him.

Sonic stared and blinked. "Seriously?"

"Yeah...she's the one who killed me."

"Do I want to know why?"

The ghost frowned. "She sacrificed me to Dark Gaia and forever bound my spirit to this castle. I don't know what she did to my father or brother, though...they're both immortal, so it's possible they're still alive."

"But they aren't in the castle."

"No...I wonder where they are...unfortunately, I can't leave."

"Maybe I could help you look for them."

Shadow smiled gratefully. "I'd like that."

Sonic smiled. "Tell me what I need to know."

"Mephiles is a hedgehog that looks like me except he has blue quills and green eyes," Shadow explained. "Dracula has black fur and red eyes; his quills are pointed up."

"I will keep an eye out." Sonic paused. "Why aren't they here with you?"

"I don't know. Maybe my sister did something to them."

"Is Fiona immortal like your brother?"

"My father, brother and I were born with immortally; Fiona was not. It is possible she became immortal through other means."

"She does know magic..."

"I don't know of any magic that can grant immortality. Only the gods can; Dark Gaia granted the Dracula family line immortality."

"I'm sure there's some kind of dark magic somewhere that could do it," Sonic said. "Maybe she learned it from out of the country?"

"It's possible," Shadow said.

Sonic smiled. His 18th birthday was the next day. "How many birthdays have you celebrated since becoming a ghost?"

"I can't remember," Shadow said. "Why do you ask?"

"Curious. I don't necessarily mean your own birthday."

"When is your birthday, Sonic?"

"Tomorrow."

"How old will you be?"

"Eighteen."

"Well then, happy birthday. You know...since you're a descendant of Dracula, 18 is the age when you'll become immortal."

"I'll just become immortal?"

"Yes; the entire Dracula line has immortality. It's possible that you might gain some powers, but I'm not sure what they would be." Sonic nodded, remembering that Fiona had said something about powers. Shadow smiled. "Do you have any siblings, Sonic?"

Sonic shook his head. "None that I know of."

"What's your family like?" Shadow asked him.

"Dead."

Shadow blinked. "Dead? What happened?"

"I don't remember." Sonic shrugged. "I was young when it happened."

The black hedgehog nodded, and then a thought came to Sonic. Shadow had mentioned immortality in the Dracula bloodline. If that was the case, one of Sonic's parents had been immortal but then how had his immortal parent died? As far as he knew, immortals didn't age or die.

"If one of my parents was immortal... Are there ways to kill immortals?"

"There are," Shadow said. "Immortals can be killed by other immortals or divine weapons; however, weapons like those are rarely given by the gods."

"Could they be stolen?"

"Stolen? I do not know...it is possible; some of my father's weapons are of divine origin."

"So, they could've been stolen from your father's armory?"

"If someone did steal, they will pay...come, check them with me."

Shadow started to fly down the hall. Sonic grinned and followed. "How much has the armory changed over the years?" He asked.

"Not much," Shadow said. When they got to the armory, they saw the door unlocked. That already wasn't good. Sonic frowned and followed Shadow into the room. "They're gone!" Shadow yelled. "All of the divine weapons are gone!"

"How many were there?"

Sonic felt stupid for asking the moment the words left his mouth. It was obvious where the weapons used to be; at least five places on the walls had less dust than the rest of it.

"How could this happen? I've kept watch over this castle for centuries!" The ghost yelled.

Sonic frowned. How had someone gotten down here and stolen the weapons without anyone noticing? Unless it was before he moved in, and considering the dust, that was probably the case.

"This vault is only accessible to family members...it must have been my sister..." Shadow muttered.

Sonic leaned against the wall. He heard a click and fell back as part of the wall slid open to reveal a secret passage. Sonic hopped back to his feet and turned in surprise.

Shadow floated near him and peered into the tunnel. "A secret passage? I've never seen this before..."

"If it's something you don't know about..." Sonic grinned. "I definitely have to see what's on the other side."

"After you, then."

Sonic's grin widened and he walked into the tunnel. "Do you have any suggestions what it could be?"

"I am not sure," Shadow said as he flew after the blue hedgehog. "It could lead to some of the catacombs but we'll find out."

Sonic grew excited at that. The passageway was long, and soon Sonic and Shadow came to a large circular room after going down a winding staircase. The statue of a giant dragon was in the center. Sonic ran over to it and started looking over the statue.

"This is really detailed," he said.

Shadow looked at it. "Someone must have made it a long time ago."

"How long ago?"

"I'm not sure; I didn't even know this place existed. We might be underneath the castle."

"Most likely. Maybe the castle was intentionally built above it?"

Shadow nodded. "That is a possibility. I'm more interested in this dragon statue...it's impressive, and very lifelike."

Sonic climbed up onto a part of the statue to get an even closer look at it. He ran his hand along the stone. "Is there a stone that's naturally warm?"

Confusion came to Shadow's face. "What do you mean?"

"This feels kinda warm."

"Warm? It's a statue, how could it feel warm?"

Shadow became intrigued. "I see...how interesting..." Sonic climbed higher on the statue. "Be careful you don't break it," Shadow warned, flying up so he was eye level with Sonic.

The blue hedgehog smiled at the transparent ghost. "You worry too much." Sonic stopped at the dragon's back right below its wings. "Hey, look," Sonic laughed. "I'm riding a dragon."

"Too bad it's not a real one."

"Unfortunately."

"Dragons haven't been seen since medieval times," Shadow said.

"They're probably just hiding somewhere."

"Anyway, we should probably head back."

"I guess so."

Shadow smiled, and they left. When they got back to the castle, the ghost looked at Sonic. "Why don't we check on Silver?"

"Good idea."

Sonic walked out of the castle and up to the petrified gargoyle on the lawn. He looked at it. Everything was exactly the way it should be. He looked up at the sky; it was almost noon. Sonic wondered if Silver was aware what was going on around him. He knocked on the stone.

"Silver?"

There was no response and Sonic pouted. He supposed he should've known.

He looked at the statue for a few moments, running his hand along it. What Silver had transformed into was impressive. He was about to walk back inside when he saw a black furred wolf in the distance. It was at the edge of the forest, staring at him. Sonic stared back at the wolf for a few moments before hurrying inside.

"Shadow, do you know if the wolves around here are dangerous?"

The ghost looked at him. "Wolves? There haven't been wolves in Transylvania for a long time; they were all driven out of their land by humans."

"Really?" Sonic looked at the window. "There was a black wolf looking at me out there."

"There was?" Shadow flew to the window and looked out. "I don't see one."

"It must've gone back in the woods."

"Do you want to go looking for it?"

Sonic shook his head. "I'd better not."

"Why not?" The ghost asked, floating in front of Sonic.

"I have no idea how dangerous the wolf is."

"You may be right...they are unpredictable animals. I wonder why it showed itself."

Sonic's stomach grumbled. He looked at his watch and saw that it was noon before walking into the kitchen to make lunch, thinking about the wolf.


	8. Brotherly Reunion

Chapter 8: Brotherly Reunion

That night, Silver began to change back. The stone on his body cracked and fell off. He shook when half of it was gone, trying to get the rest off of him. The gargoyle stretched as the rest of it fell off. Silver flapped his wings and flew into the air. Stretching felt good, getting rid of the tiredness he felt. The wolf he had seen earlier was back, looking up at him. He smiled and descended.

"Hey," he said. "Anything interesting happen during the day?"

The wolf shook its head. _"Not really, no,"_ it told Silver telepathically. _"I mostly stayed in the forest, and occasionally left my den to hunt."_

The gargoyle smiled. "What's your den like?"

 _"Large; fit for at least two wolves. I have been wanting a mate but there are no wolves around except me. Being immortal, and the only wolf in the forest, has made me long for companionship."_

"There's nothing you can do about it?"

The wolf cocked its head. _"What do you mean?"_

"Well, if you want companionship, you could go out and try to find some. Might not be able to find a wolf, but..."

 _"I will try, but being a wolf has caused me to gain wolfish instincts and nature. I fell like I should be with others of my kind."_

"Dogs are canines, so they're pretty close."

The wolf shrugged. It yawned, showing its sharp fangs. _"It's nice to talk to a fellow immortal. I will see you later, Silver."_

Silver watched Mephiles walk back into the forest. He smiled and went inside the castle. Sonic looked up when he saw the gargoyle, and smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"I got a good sleep but I'm fine now."

"That's a relief."

The gargoyle smiled. "What did you and Shadow do today?"

"Found out someone - probably Fiona - stole all the Divine weapons from the armory. And we found a hidden passage leading to a statue of a dragon."

"Sounds interesting...have you met Mephiles yet? He's the wolf we've been seeing."

"Did you say his name was Mephiles?" Shadow asked the gargoyle.

"Do you know him?"

"He's my brother..."

"Brother? So, he's been with you all this time and you never knew?"

"Apparently...he's also Sonic's direct ancestor...if he's been a wolf, why has he not come to see me?"

"Maybe he doesn't know you're still here?" Sonic suggested.

"Can you tell him that I want to speak to him? I would go to the forest but I can't leave the castle."

"Sure."

Sonic walked out of the castle towards the forest. He looked around and saw the black furred wolf he had seen that morning. It was dragging the carcass of a dead deer, most likely going back to its den to eat. Sonic hesitated, then decided to follow. When the wolf walked inside its den, it lay down and started to eat its meal. Sonic walked inside and the wolf's head snapped up when it saw him, its amber eyes gleaming in the dark. Its ears flattened back as the canine started growling ferociously. The anthro hedgehog gulped and started to back away; was this animal really Mephiles? It was acting like any normal wolf would. Sonic was about to speak when he heard a voice in his head.

 _"Who are you, and why are you disturbing my meal?"_ The wolf asked telepathically.

"Sonic, and I was looking for a wolf named Mephiles."

 _"I am Mephiles. Why are you looking for me?"_

"Shadow wants to see you."

The wolf's eyes widened and its tail started wagging. _"Shadow? He's still alive?"_

"Kinda? But not really. He's a ghost in the castle."

 _"Take me to him, please. I had no idea."_

"Do you want to finish that first?"

The wolf nodded and finished its meal. Sonic watched, feeling a little uncomfortable. Once Mephiles was finished, they went to the castle. When the canine tried to walk in, it found that it couldn't enter the castle. The wolf growled.

Sonic turned to look at Mephiles. "What's wrong?"

 _"I can't enter the castle for some reason."_

"Okay. I'll get Shadow to come here then."

The wolf sat on its haunches and waited. A few minutes later, Shadow flew up to the front door.

"Mephiles?" Shadow asked. "Is that you?"

 _"Brother,"_ the wolf said, startling Shadow with its telepathy. _"It has been a long time."_

"Too long," Shadow said. "Have you been in the forest outside all these years?"

 _"I have. Fiona transformed me into a wolf, so I've been living in the forest. I had no idea you were still here."_

"Did that happen after I died?"

 _"I believe so."_

"What else happened after I was killed?"

 _"The last thing I saw before I was exiled was father going to fight Fiona. After that I found myself in the form of a wolf."_

"Huh. So, father would be our only chance of knowing what happened."

 _"Unfortunately, I don't know what happened to him,"_ Mephiles said. _"Do you?"_

Shadow shook his head. "If he died, he didn't stay here like I did."

 _"How did you die, anyway? You're immortal too."_

"I was murdered. They likely knew they would need a certain type of weapon and used that."

 _"I see._ _By the way, who's that blue hedgehog who's been living here?"_

"Sonic," Shadow told him. "He's your descendant. Mine too, albeit slightly removed."

 _"So another member of the family joins us here again,"_ Mephiles said. _"After all these years, I'm not sure that's a good or a bad thing."_

"What do you mean?" Shadow asked.

 _"It's been centuries since anyone has lived here. Now, the next person to buy the castle is a descendant. It's... I just get the feeling that is is more than mere coincidence. Something is going to happen. Something big."_

The ghost smiled at the wolf. "I think something already is. Sonic and I found a secret passage leading to a large room underneath the castle. There was a statue of a dragon."

 _"A dragon statue? How big?"_

"As big as a regular dragon."

 _"Under the castle?"_

"Yeah," Shadow said. "It's pretty impressive."

 _"That's... odd. How did it get down there?"_

"Honestly, I have no idea. Someone probably sculpted it."

 _"Weird place to make a life-size dragon statue."_

"Would you like to see it?" Shadow asked.

 _"Of course I would. But I can't go in the castle."_

"I can't leave the castle, myself. Wonder if it has to do with Fiona's magic."

 _"Probably. The bitch."_

"She recently tried to murder Sonic, and stole all the divine weapons."

 _"All of them?"_ Shadow nodded, and the wolf growled angrily. _"Are you devising a plan to get them back?"_

"Not yet. We have no idea where they are."

Mephiles was about to speak when Silver landed next to them. The ghost and wolf looked at the gargoyle.

"Hello, Silver," Shadow said.

"Shadow, Mephiles," the gargoyle greeted. "How are you two doing?"

"Splendidly," the two of them answered at once.

"It looks like the both of you are happy to be reunited."

 _"We are,"_ Mephiles said, and yawned.

Shadow looked at his brother. "You're tired already?"

 _"A little,"_ the wolf said. _"I think I'll head back soon."_

"Oh. Well... See you later?"

 _"I can stay longer if you want me to."_

"No, if you're tired you should go rest."

The wolf nodded. _"I will be back soon, brother."_

He turned and walked back into the forest. As Mephiles went into his den, he stopped. The wolf sniffed, picking up another scent. He moved to the back of the den and saw an injured, orange colored wolf sleeping on the ground. Mephiles moved closer and sniffed the sleeping wolf. It was badly injured, that much he could tell. Blood and bite marks were on its fur and it was whining. The black wolf started licking one of the wounds and the wolf jumped awake, growling.

Mephiles moved back.

 _Calm down,_ he barked. _I'm just trying to help._

 _Who are you?_ The red wolf asked.

 _Mephiles._

 _My name is Gadget._

 _What happened to you?_

 _Got banished by my pack...lost the right as Alpha...is this your den?_ When Mephiles nodded, Gadget looked down. _I'm sorry...I thought a wolf wasn't using it. It was empty but there was a half eaten deer carcass that I helped myself to. I'm guessing it's your kill?_

 _It was._

 _Oh...sorry. If you want me to leave, I understand..._

 _It's fine. You are free to stay as long as you need._

Gadget smiled, and his tail started to wag. _Thank you, Mephiles._

He tried to stand, but winced at his injuries.

 _Stay down and rest for now,_ Mephiles said. _Your body needs it._

The red wolf lay down and whined. He started licking his wounds, and Mephiles lay down next to him.

 _So, how'd you find my den?_

 _I was looking for somewhere to rest, and saw the entrance._

 _You said you got banished from your pack? How did that happen?_

 _One of the others challenged me._

 _Challenged you for the role of Alpha? I see. Well, you're welcome to stay here._

Gadget looked at the other wolf, feeling happy. Mephiles yawned, putting his head on his front paws.

 _How long have you been living here?_ Gadget asked.

 _A very long time,_ the black wolf told him. _I wasn't aware wolves had been living in the forest._

 _I see a lot of us around where I live. Used to live._

 _I haven't seen many wolves around here lately, except for you. Where does your former pack live?_

 _About halfway across the forest, North from here._

 _I haven't been that way in a while,_ the black wolf said. _How long have they been living there?_

A few years.

Mephiles nodded. He stretched, then curled up as Gadget did the same. Before long, both wolves were asleep.


	9. Discussions

Chapter 9: Discussions

It had been five minutes after Mephiles left and Shadow was in the living room with Sonic and Silver.

"Were you happy to see your brother, Shadow?" Silver asked.

Shadow nodded. "Very surprised, as well. I thought he was dead."

The gargoyle smiled. "What do you think about him being a wolf?"

"That is also a surprise. One that I don't like."

"What don't you like about that?" Sonic asked the ghost.

"My brother has the body of a feral wolf," Shadow said.

"Has he been one before?" The gargoyle asked. "He told me that he used to be able to shapeshift."

Shadow shook his head and crossed his arms. "He probably did, but I don't remember every form he shifted into."

"He did tell me that he's been wanting a mate."

"Mephiles always had been interested in finding that special someone."

"Say, Silv," Sonic said. "What do you think about being a gargoyle so far?"

"Annoying, but interesting."

"Have you figured out any of your new powers yet?"

"Sort of."

"Like what?" Sonic asked.

"Well, I can fly," Silver told them. "It's pretty cool."

"Sounds like it is."

"I haven't figured out any other powers yet but Mephiles did tell me that I'm immortal now."

"Gargoyles are immortal?"

"Apparently," Silver said, and then sighed. "I wonder what Blaze will think..."

"She'd be worried about you," Sonic said.

"I would call her but I don't think that a phone would fit in my hands now."

"I'll call her for you," Sonic said.

"Thanks, Sonic," Silver replied.

"No problem. I can even put her on speaker so you can talk to her."

Sonic dialed Blaze's number and put it on speaker. Blaze answered seconds later.

"Hello," Blaze said.

"Hi, honey," Silver greeted. "How are you?"

"I'm great."

"Hey...something came up while I've been here. I've become an immortal gargoyle."

"What? How?"

"A witch named Fiona, Shadow's sister, transformed me."

"Why? What did you get into over there?" Silver explained everything that had happened, from Fiona trying to murder Sonic causing her to permanently transform him to finding Mephiles as a wolf and reuniting him with Shadow. Blaze was silent for a moment, and then spoke. "That is quite the adventure. You will be coming back after it's done, right?"

"I plan on it," Silver said.

"Good. We'll figure something out if you're still a Gargoyle."

"Thanks, Blaze. I love you."

"I love you too."

"What have you been doing while I've been gone?"

Sonic smiled and set the phone on the table, then walked out of the room so they could talk. "I really hope we can get him back to normal," he said to Shadow.

"Curses like that are very hard to break," Shadow told Sonic. "Especially when they've changed someone's being altogether."

"There's a way. There's always a way to reverse a curse."

"Well, Silver's only been a gargoyle for a day."

"So? Like you said, it's only been a day. He might hate it later, and I would rather know a way to change him back than force him to stay like that when he doesn't want to be."

"I'll look into it," the ghost said with a smile.

A few minutes later, Silver walked into the room where Sonic and Shadow were. "I finished talking with Blaze."

"What did she say?" Shadow asked the gargoyle.

"She just wanted to catch up on what's been going on in both our lives."

"That's good. Say, what was it like being a statue this morning?"

"I don't really remember it. I guess you could say it was like being asleep."

Silver smiled, and Sonic yawned. "I need to get some sleep," he said. "See you guys tomorrow."

They bid him goodnight. Sonic went to his room and yawned again before falling asleep in bed.


	10. The Werehog

Chapter 10: The Werehog

By the time Sonic woke up, it was morning. He sat up and stretched, but something felt different. He felt hot, hotter than usual anyway, which was strange. Looking down at himself, Sonic stared at all the extra fur he now had.

"What the hell?"

He rushed over and looked into a mirror. He definitely looked different, and it wasn't just the extra fur. He was bigger, for one. More muscular in his arms. With claws. Smaller ears, longer tail... Sonic grimaced at his reflection and added sharp teeth - not just his canines - to the list. This was odd. Maybe he should talk to Shadow.

"Shadow," Sonic called, "Is this that werehog form you were talking about?"

The ghost appeared and nodded. "Yes, it is."

"How do I get back to normal?"

"Just think about your normal form. You can change between forms at will and can stay in your Werehog form as long as you want."

"Cool. Do I have to wait at all before I can switch?"

"I don't know. You're immortal now also."

"Awesome. That'll be really helpful."

Shadow grinned. "Just the perks of being a Dracula."

"And I'm going to take full advantage of it. Once I can get back to normal."

"Take advantage of what? Your Werehog form, or immortality?"

"My immortality," Sonic told him.

Shadow chuckled. "Going to do something reckless?"

"I usually am, but I'm thinking about doing something stupid."

"Really?" The ghost gave a worried frown. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to go use my natural speed when I really shouldn't and do really extreme sports." Sonic took a breath. "I haven't went out and had fun in a while, and this immortality is giving me some great ideas."

"What kind of ideas?"

"Really stupid ones that I'm bound to get hurt doing. Like testing my speed and reflexes. Running places I really shouldn't. Some extreme sports taken just a little too far."

"If you want to do that, go ahead," the ghost said. "Just don't get hurt."

Sonic grinned. "I won't," he said, flexing his wrist and examining the muscles on his arms. "Not sure I like how big this is," he muttered. Sonic looked at Shadow. "Are the werehog forms always so big?"

"Yes, they are."

"That sucks. I'll get used to it eventually." He smiled at Shadow again, opened his mouth, then shook his head. "Never mind. I'll figure out what this form can do on my own."

Sonic walked out of the room and headed outside. He saw Silver as a statue again and walked up to it. After a quick check to make sure Silver was okay, he put distance between them and stretched. If he was going to test what this body could do, he was going to make sure it was prepared.

"Let's see...what should I test first?"

Speed was important.

Sonic started at a walk, quickly getting faster until he couldn't speed up anymore. At a speed that was not where he wanted to be. He frowned and slowed to a stop. That was disappointing, no matter how much he expected it.

"Why can't I run as fast as usual in this form?" He asked himself.

He started running again, this time going onto all fours. That was faster, but still not as fast as usual. Sonic growled and pouted. He should've known being bigger meant he couldn't go as fast. Deciding to test how strong he was now, Sonic went into the forest. He saw a boulder and walked up to it. He drew back his hand, then punched it. The bolder shattered immediately.

Sonic looked at his arm, impressed.

Lack of speed made up for in strength. Typical, but still pretty awesome. Chances were, this body was more durable than his normal as well... Not that it mattered, being immortal. The Werehog grinned, and decided to get some exercise. He dropped onto all fours and ran further into the forest, keeping a long stride. Sonic stopped minutes later and stood up. He saw Mephiles in the distance, along with another wolf. Sonic walked up to them.

"Hey, Mephiles," he said.

 _"Hello, Sonic."_

Sonic blinked. "You recognize me like this?"

Mephiles nodded. _"Your appearance hasn't changed so drastically that I can't see it's you."_

The Werehog grinned, showing sharp fangs. "Who's the other wolf?" He asked, motioning to Gadget.

 _"His name is Gadget,"_ Mephiles said.

"It's nice to meet you, Gadget." The wolf nodded, as he obviously couldn't speak. Sonic looked at Mephiles. "I know he's a normal wolf, but can he use telepathy like you can?"

 _"Unfortunately not."_

"How'd you find him?"

 _"He was in my home. Apparently, his pack banished him after he lost the right of Alpha."_

"What? That's terrible. I hope he's doing well."

Gadget looked at Mephiles. _How are you two talking to each other?_ He barked.

 _I..._ Mephiles paused, unsure of how to respond. _It's a long story._

The red wolf looked confused. _What do you mean?_

 _I'll tell you later._

Gadget nodded, and looked at Sonic. He had a wolf-like scent, which was odd.

 _Is he a wolf?_ Gadget asked Mephiles.

Mephiles nodded. _Of a sort. How much do you know about this castle?_

 _Not much. Us wolves haven't paid much attention to it._

Sonic looked between the two wolves. All he heard were barks.

"I'm going to get back to my testing," Sonic said.

Sonic waved and walked away before stopping not far from the two wolves. He looked back at them and laughed as Gadget suddenly pounced on Mephiles, initiating a playful fight as the black wolf obliged. The Werehog looked at his claws, impressed with how sharp they were. He saw a tree and an idea came to him. Sonic got down on all fours before dashing at the tree, slashing at its trunk with his claws. The attack left long gashes across the tree trunk. Sonic grinned before doing the same to another tree. Soon enough, he got tired of that and sat down.

"This is a good form," he said, flexing his wrists. Sonic lay down, looking up at the sky.

This body wasn't so bad, now that he'd gotten used to it. Helpful if he needed more strength, even if it wasn't fast. He looked back and saw the two wolves watching him.

"Hey guys," Sonic said with a wave. The wolves barked a reply. "You can join me if you want."

They walked over to him.

 _"You look like you're having fun,"_ Mephiles told him.

Sonic smiled at him. "I am."

 _"That form you have is a lot like a wolf. How did you acquire it?"_

"I turned eighteen." Sonic shrugged. "It's some kind of family thing."

Mephiles nodded. _"I remember when I got my powers at that age."_

"What was it like for you?"

 _"Intriguing. My power was shapeshifting."_

"So... How did that affect this transformation?"

 _"When Fiona permanently changed me into the form of a wolf, she also took away my ability to shapeshift."_

"She has that much power?"

Mephiles nodded. _"She gained power when she made a deal with Dark Gaia."_

"Sounds... Annoying."

 _"It is."_

Sonic frowned. He already didn't like her for what she did to Silver, but the more he learned the more she sounded like his least favorite sort of person. "So... Fiona's a power hungry witch who turned on her family because she felt like it."

The black wolf growled, the sound rumbling deep in his throat. _"The Draculs are a royal family of the highest respect. When she betrayed us, we lost more than just our honor. Word began to spread. We lost our home, land, and the trust of our allies all because of that fucking bitch."_

"That sucks."

 _"I'm going to kill her..."_

"As long as she reverses the curse she put on Silver first, I won't stop you."

Soon, Gadget walked over to them. _What are you talking about?_ He barked.

 _Family stuff,_ Mephiles told him.

 _I'm going to go hunt,_ Gadget told the other wolf. _Do you want to come, Mephiles?_

The black wolf nodded. Mephiles and Sonic watched him walk deeper into the forest. Sonic was confused as to what they said as he didn't understand wolf language. "Where's he off to?"

 _"To hunt,"_ Mephiles told Sonic telepathically. _"I'm going to join him."_

"Have fun."

The black furred wolf ran off. Sonic watched him leave and turned to go back to the castle. It was about time he went back inside. He walked past the statue of Silver and looked at it for a few moments, then walked into the castle.

"How was your training?" Shadow asked him.

"It was good. I think I'm used to this body now."

"What did you do?" Sonic explained his training to Shadow. "It sounds like you had good training. How is my brother?"

"He's good. There's another wolf around that he's living with."

"Another wolf?' Shadow asked, intrigued. "Interesting. It sounds like he's doing well."

"Your brother seems to be enjoying himself," Sonic said. Shadow smiled; he would like to see Mephiles again. His thoughts turned to Fiona...what was she up to? "You okay, Shads?"

"Just thinking."

Sonic smiled and went into the kitchen. The Werehog yawned and got some food out before starting to eat. He hoped everything would be okay.


End file.
